Friday 28th March

Friday, 28 March 2025 06:00

By Steve Haigh

First Bus has invested £12 million in buying 26 electric buses to run on routes in Somerset. Approval has been given to build 18 new homes in South Petherton. Somerset’s recycling sites, including Yeovil, will revert to their spring opening times next week. This year’s Somerset Drama Festival has been won by Ilminster Entertainments Society...and more.

A fleet of new electric buses will soon start running on Somerset roads. First Bus has bought 26 of the zero-emission vehicles at a cost of £12 million, £2 million of which has been provided by the government. The electric buses will run on all routes in Somerset, including in Yeovil.

Organisers of this weekend’s Yeovil Half Marathon are reminding runners of a change to the start line. In previous years, the race has started outside the library in South Street. This year it will start on the High Street, outside Superdrug. Around 1400 people have so far registered to compete in Sunday’s Yeovil half-marathon.

People in Yeovil are being asked to have their say on plans to extend dog control measures in Ninesprings Country Park..The measures, which include a dog exclusion zone as well as making owners keep their animals on leads, expire in June. Somerset Council wants to extend the protection orders by three years and has started a public consultation that runs until the 5th May.

Somerset’s recycling sites, including Yeovil, will revert to their spring opening times next week. From Tuesday, April 1st, all of Somerset’s 16 recycling sites will open from 9 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday, and 9 am to 4 pm at weekends.

Final approval has been given to build 18 new homes in South Petherton. The houses will be built off Lampreys Lane by Acorn Homes of Taunton. The application, that’s been on hold for five years, was approved at a meeting of Somerset Council’s Area South Planning Committee after the developer agreed to additional phosphate mitigation on the site.

This year’s Somerset Drama Festival has been won by Ilminster Entertainments Society with their production of My Best Friend. The festival, featuring nine groups performing 10 plays, was held at the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster.

More from News

Wednesday 29th April

Somerset Council says Hendford Hill in Yeovil should be fully reopened to traffic by the end of May. Plans have been approved to build 40 new homes in Crewkerne. A huge pile of illegally dumped rubbish in Glastonbury has been cleared... and more
Tuesday 28th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision at Rimpton. A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in South Petherton. Former Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has been retained as first-team manager of Taunton Town for next season... and more
Monday 27th April

A former school in Sherborne has been badly damaged by fire. A care home in Yeovil has been rated outstanding. ublic spaces in West Coker owned by Somerset Council are being handed over to the parish council. Mendip Golf Club has presented a cheque for £12,000 to Mind in Somerset... and more
Friday 24th April

Plans have been submitted to turn a property on Preston Road in Yeovil into a House in Multiple Occupation. Yeovil’s Marlie Packer has been recalled to the England Red Roses starting line-up for tomorrow’s Women’s Six Nations game against Wales. Three sisters from Yeovil will be running the London Marathon this weekend in support of Guide Dogs UK... and more
Thursday 23rd April

Helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton have completed six weeks of sorties, protecting Cyprus from attacks by Iran. People in Somerset who use domestic heating oil are calling on the government to regulate the oil supply industry. Patients are being invited to register at a new NHS dentist in Crewkerne... and more
Wednesday 22nd April

Expectant mothers are using Yeovil Hospital once again to give birth following the reopening of the maternity unit. A Yeovil man has been jailed for four years for committing sexual offences against two young girls. Plans have been approved to convert a pub in Milborne Port into housing... and more
Tuesday 21st April

NHS Somerset has delayed closing the hyper-acute stroke unit at Yeovil Hospital. A former Avon and Somerset Police officer has been jailed for making indecent images of children. A Somerset man has been fined after pleading guilty to hunting a wild animal with dogs... and more
Monday 20th April

Nearly one hundred roads in Somerset will be surface dressed this summer to prevent further damage. Almost all children starting primary school in Somerset in September have been offered a place at one of their top three school choices. People in Somerset are being asked to record wild mammals in gardens and other green spaces over the summer... and more